• The number of broadcast professionals is increasing and multi tasking more as workflows become simpler. This means there are more influences on the purchase and use of equipment today.
• Fewer of these people will make it to large exhibitions as they can get all the information they need from the internet via websites and discussion forums.
• Increase of competitors and solutions means the use of marketing tools need to be more fine tuned, requiring all of us to make the best use of those tools and to be sure that the investments made receive the appropriate return.
• Not all customers attend exhibitions to check, test or see products and solutions. Some come to listen the basic direction and strategy of every manufacturer, looking for those manufacturers and solution suppliers who will better fit into their company strategy.
• Massive marketing tools, in our industry have clearly demonstrated their lack of success. Return in the kind of investments made is at best difficult to justify. Sniper activities are very welcomed by customers, as it better fits their expectations. We know where these customers are and if we can offer them a personal solution to their production needs we can better offer a full range of marketing opportunities.
  

In summary, customers have changed their behavior, while suppliers haven’t changed the way to approach them. With this in mind Panasonic would like to make the following statements:

Panasonic and IBC as an Organization have always had extremely good relations. Panasonic wants to take this opportunity to thank them for the support and sensitivity to our requests and needs. In one way or another we will keep collaborating with IBC.

Panasonic wants to thank Amsterdam and Holland for the hospitality they have shown us over the years. So it is not a decision, at all, based on the voices that say that IBC should move somewhere else. Independently of the city, we would not attend.

It is not a decision in order to cut costs in our operations. In fact we are already working on the use of a higher budget for activities next year. We intend to use this in a more focused approach on the targets we decide are key to be promoted directly from Panasonic Broadcast Europe. So in fact, we intend to make a more efficient use of our investment.

Obviously, this is not a decision based on the findings of one person in PME. But is based on a strong conviction of the whole team that nowadays exhibitions, for large organizations such as we are, find it increasingly tough to find a return in the huge investments we make, when in a changing world there are probably other ways of making the best use of resources (especially people and time).

We will keep attending IBC, but not as Exhibitor. We intend on having a Press Conference as this is an outstanding opportunity to meet so many of the press in one place. We will also study other activities that we will participate in.